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Fharoah - I say this in kindness, but have you ever considered anti-anxiety medications or counseling? We all worry about our horses (I definitely do, way too much!), but it seems like you often worry far too much about things that are not necessarily major issues, or things that are really just judgment calls that you need to try to do your best on with professionals who can see the horse in question but not fret incessantly about.

For example, I think I have seen at least three (maybe more) threads here on shoeing for Fharoah in about a week's time. That's excessive. He's a pasture sound horse, and there is not going to be a "perfect" shoeing situation for him. He could get hurt again even if his shoes are absolutely perfect, or he could go on for a very long time unshod or imperfectly shod...just as many horses do every day.

There just isn't a perfect situation for any horse. You do the best you can with what you've got, you know? Horses are not an exact science. Try not to let the "what ifs" get to you too much. Fharoah does not need to move perfectly (a la aluminum shoes) in the field in order to be happy and comfortable. He has a fused pastern. That's going to result in a mechanical lameness no matter WHAT you do with his feet. It does not necessarily mean he is in pain. That is also probably going to result in one front foot being very different from the other because he is NOT going to travel the same way as he would if his pastern wasn't fused. Is the fused pastern going to impact his other joints and possibly cause problems elsewhere? Yeah, probably. But there is really very little you can do about that. It is what it is.

Try to calm down and enjoy your horse. Stop waiting for the other shoe to fall, so to speak. Take a deep breath and look at your horse in the pasture. Does he look content? I bet he does. That's all he wants. You are obviously not going to neglect him, and you are obviously going to try to do the very best you can for him. But this does not have to be as stressful as you are making it.

I read on one of your other threads that you were up around 1:30 a.m. worrying about whether to ship a horse (same horse?) in a box stall or not. Again, that is a judgment call type situation. Whatever you decide has pros and cons. At some point, you need to make a decision and let the anxiety go.

I do know how hard it is, believe me. But I think you will enjoy your life with horses a lot more if you learn to accept that our best has to be good enough and that even our best won't be perfect.

Honestly, I really do suggest you try counseling and perhaps some anti-anxiety medication. It cannot be fun for you to live with all of this constant unproductive worry.

ETA: I just went and checked and it is actually SEVEN recent threads on shoeing for Fharoah. Please, do look into getting some help. You don't need to live with this constant worry.

Very true. Interestingly my farrier measured his hoofs immediately after he finished shoeing him and the farrier said right front was 1 inch longer than the the left front.

That is, absent some damn good reason, totally unacceptable. And even then, such a difference can be accommodated by the correct use of ancillary orthotics.

I am not saying this is a farrier problem it may just be the way his feet are.

OK, I'll say it. Its a farrier problem.

It is just that I know other farriers are changing allot less and I am struggling to pay off my credit card and feeling that $200 every five weeks or $250 with pads for fronts might be alittle higher than I can realistically budget.

Fair enough. That said, normally at this point I would offer that "The bitterness of poor quality lingers long after the sweet taste of low price is gone", however, in this instance, I'm not so sure........

Since your horse is, according to you, sore for a week after the feet are trimmed and shod, perhaps the cycle should be extended by one or more weeks, especially going into the winter when most horses are putting their resources into coat growth rather than hoof growth.

Rick, the horse has a surgically fused pastern. I'm not a farrier, but I really doubt his feet are ever going to "match." I'm sure one foot bears a bigger load than the other, and he probably has gait abnormalities that will continue with him for life.

Rick, the horse has a surgically fused pastern. I'm not a farrier, but I really doubt his feet are ever going to "match." I'm sure one foot bears a bigger load than the other, and he probably has gait abnormalities that will continue with him for life.

Thanks for the info.
Regardless, that does not answer the question of why this pasture ornament requires shoes.

Rick, the horse has a surgically fused pastern. I'm not a farrier, but I really doubt his feet are ever going to "match." I'm sure one foot bears a bigger load than the other, and he probably has gait abnormalities that will continue with him for life.

Just to clarify a properly arthrodesed pastern will result in a clinically sound horse with no mechanical lameness according to every surgeon I have talked to or whom has seen my horse. Success of this surgery is defined as horse returning to previous level of athletic function. My vets all said no mechanical lameness. However this horses being pasture sound is said to have nothing to do with his pastern but issue with deep digital flexor tendon. To be truthful the surgeon whom treated this horse last year thinks there is a shoeing problem and told me correct trim is most important. Actually he goes sore for more than 7 days after shoeing. Oh and long toes drive me crazy.

Just to clarify a properly arthrodesed pastern will result in a clinically sound horse with no mechanical lameness according to every surgeon I have talked to or whom has seen my horse. Success of this surgery is defined as horse returning to previous level of athletic function. My vets all said no mechanical lameness. However this horses being pasture sound is said to have nothing to do with his pastern but issue with deep digital flexor tendon. To be truthful the surgeon whom treated this horse last year thinks there is a shoeing problem and told me correct trim is most important. Actually he goes sore for more than 7 days after shoeing. Oh and long toes drive me crazy.

I should not have said mechanical "lameness" I guess. But I would think there is virtually no chance that his gait would be exactly the same as it would be if he did not have an issue with his pastern. My horse has some kind of subclinical gait abnormality in that he wears the heck out of the toe of his left front shoe. Lots of vets, including lameness specialists and surgeons have looked at him and consider him to be sound enough to be jumping, participating in clinics, etc. But his gait certainly is different SOMEHOW given the way his shoes wear.

Likewise, I have a metal rod and screws in my left femur. I'm not "lame," and not in pain. I ride and run just fine. BUT, I step heavier on my right foot (I sound, but do not look, lame on a treadmill). I wear my right shoes out faster and I have sesamoiditis in my right foot...probably from running differently due to the rod in my femur.

So, while your horse might not be lame, I think you are kidding yourself if you think a pastern fusion won't affect how he travels at all. I think that might be what causes his feet to be different. Or, possibly, the fact that his feet are different might be the reason for the problem that led to the pastern fusion in the first place (I'm assuming ringbone or sidebone?).

Regardless, if you are not happy with your farrier and think you can find a better one...switch. Personally, if I had a pasture sound horse that was more comfortable unshod...I would keep the horse unshod.

Thanks everyone! I have decided that I simply cannot afford $200 every five weeks. I appreciate my farrier trying his best for my horse and I understand the cost but I simply cannot afford it. It think I am going to have the horse trimmed and see how he does. If he needs the shoes he can wear them for life, but when the shoe fell of he was bucking wearing and prancing around like a two year old and quite happy, so I think I will give it a try. I am in debt as it is.

Fine already I do agree with you there must be a slight change in his gait. It is just when I did the surgery they said success would be him returning to hunter ring and being able to show. I cannot tell you how much I regret having ever done the surgery, but he has been a happy and active pasture pet and as long as he is happy and comfortable he can graze the grounds and be number one horse in the barn.

When you take your horse barefoot, make sure that the farrier does not remove any sole whatsoever. In fact, for this first time, just have the shoes removed and the edges of the wall beveled. Nothing more. And, start and continue using Durasole as indicated by its instructions. Again, I cannot emphasize enough that the farrier should not remove any sole at all.

When we took my horse barefoot on his hinds, the farrier DID trim the sole and he was completely fine. Sounder than ever, really. Granted, this was all a bit unplanned in that the horse had had a very bad incident with the farrier I used (VERY briefly) right before my current farrier started doing him. So, my current farrier had planned to shoe him behind as he had always been shod behind in the roughly four years I had owned him. He trimmed him (including the sole) and then as soon as he went to set the shoes, the horse became a trembling wreck. So we left him bare because it was honestly unsafe to shoe him. He has been doing fabulous with the bare hind feet, and the sole is trimmed every single time (including today, actually).

Is the "don't take any sole away" more of a concern when taking front feet bare, or does it usually apply to hinds as well?

The farrier the BO uses is $25 for a trim, $75 (I think) for front shoes.
He hasn't been out in FOREVER though, and if he doesn't come out this week, I am switching to a new farrier, who charges $30 for a trim, and $55 for front shoes.

I'm in the Seattle area. The first farrier I used when I got my dressage horse charged $80 for a full set but I wasn't super happy with how she trimmed and I had to be there due to the insurance she carries. The guy who does most of my barn is $180 for a full set I believe, which I though seemed expensive (apparently not though!). The guy I went with does a beautiful and correct job... I'm actually in awe of how pretty they look when he's done He charges me $130 for 4 shoes and clips all around.

I have another guy who does the horses I have at home. He's $45 for a barefoot trim for my retired guy, $40 for my mini-horse and does a fabulous job as well.

I'm so grateful for my farrier, as he also doubles as my trimming mentor. His "cred" is that he's also the farrier for the major university.
He shoes my dressage horse; $100 for NB fronts, and kegs with sprung heels in hind every 5 weeks. He also checks my trimming work on my endurance horse every 3rd time I trim him to help me stay on track.
I know I'm spoiled. I paid my dues with incompetent and overpriced farriers for a decade, so I guess it all balanced out.